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26 Films I LOVE:
Inception (2010):
A tragic love story, a metaphor for storytelling, an interesting depiction of the human subconscious, an exploration of how illusory and fatal ideas can be and how it may lead to self-deception; Inception is a film that encapsulates all of these elements.
What was meant to be the keys to his wife's liberation, ended up being the cause to her suicide. The very idea that caused her to question her reality, the idea that was meant to awaken her, was the very idea that caused her to end her own life. This is the tragedy in the love story between Cobb and Mal. It isn't that his wife died, but that Cobb was the reason for her death. In this way, in the severity of the punishment he endures, it is v It is this guilt, this utter heartbreak, and this longing for those whom he loves that dominates his life.
It's no secret that Inception is a metaphor for storytelling, or more specifically, film. Films function very similar to dreams; we become immersed in the world presented to us, we forgo questioning the reality of it when we jump from location to location, we accept all information, despite it at times, being completely illogical, and . In this movie, Nolan shows us these similarities, mostly through the films surrogate: Ariadne.
Through Inception, Nolan also grants us insight into how he approaches his storytelling. When Cobb and his team ponder about how to properly perform inception, it is actually Nolan revealing how he attempts inception on his audience. The stages or levels in the last inception job are how he, not only brakes down his films into acts, but how his acts affect the viewer. "On the top level, we open up his relationship with his father. Say, 'I will not follow in my father's footsteps'. Then, the next level down, we feed him 'I will create something for myself'. Then, by the time we hit the bottom level, we bring out the big guns: Cobb: My father doesn't want me to be him." In essence, we are Fischer, we go into a film with our own preconceived notions, and by the end, changed in terms of world or self perception.
The film has an interesting depiction of the subconscious as they populate the world of dreams. Cobb's subconscious in particular, more specifically, Mal, shows how our past traumas can come to haunt us if we allow it to, and sometimes without our consent.
Bottle Rocket (1996):
How I would love to live in a world where prison doesn't break you, where your friends agree to participate in your wacky adventures, where there seems to be no tension, fear, or gruesome violence, even in an armed robbery. A world where camaraderie and tenacity triumph all. It doesn't exist in our world and it might not exist outside of the circle of Dignan, but it's in his world that it does exist. An introduction not to utopian society but a utopian mindset. Granted he does have major faults(i.e. his temper), but it's a pleasure to follow him in his adventures for an hour and 45 minutes.
The Meyerowitz Stories (New And Selected) (2017):
"The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place" How true this statement has been in my personal life, and Baumbach beautifully and comically captures the essence of this apparent truth in his film. When conversing, I have found very often that both parties are using communication as a bonding or competitive tactic, rather than truly absorbing the information provided, and properly reacting to it. When sharing an experience, a related topic or experience is brought up. When sharing an opinion, a counterargument is formulated where the purpose seems to be to convert the other into your ideologies/beliefs; or conversely, an annoying sequence of over-agreement syndrome takes place. Another form of bad communication that frequently occurs is when something quite personal and emotionally charged is shared, but the other party changes topic, not because they wish to avoid the subject, but more likely because they grew bored of what was being said, their mind wandered, and here we find ourselves. How sad it is that we, the only entities in world, possibly the universe, that can communicate complexly, struggle to convey, and equally, struggle to understand one another. How easy it is to classify someone in such simple, binary terms, simply from first impressions where communication was poorly constructed. how upsetting it is that someone who should know you, or vice versa, doesn't because of an inability to communicate. And how tragic it continues to be that the one tool that can unite us, seems to be the very thing that divides us.
Brokeback Mountain (2005):
The beautiful cinematography, the incredible acting, the touching story, but what really makes this film fantastic is the incredible tragedy that lies at the heart of the film. It isn't conflicting life choices, distance, or any other common obstacles that prevent them from a happy life together, but rather it is the stigma, and in this film world, the hatred against homosexuality, the idea that it is an antonym of masculinity, and this fear of exposure that prevents them from a life together. They instead settle for secret flings until, Jack is sadly murdered and Ennis is sadly staring at the life that could've been.
It is this powerful ending that really gut-punches me with the emotion of impossibly unfulfilled longing for what could've been as I'm forced to empathize with Ennis. In a world that forces its expectations on you, it's tempting to conform, but sometimes an act of defiance is what might be the line between a content life of conformity to one of happiness, or at least a better road in that pursuit to happiness. Ennis was unable, justifiably so, to live a life of societal defiance, but it robbed him of the potential happiness he could've had with Jack.
Perks Of Being A Wallflower (2010):
This film affected me quite drastically. A socially distant or timid teenage boy finds a similar group of misfits, or as they call themselves, "wallflowers." These wallflowers are essentially social outcasts for one reason or another, but it is this collective feeling of being rejects that strengthens their bond. If you ever felt different or even slightly persecuted for being so, then this film evokes a positively overwhelming feeling of empathy for these wallflowers. It is this empathy that also evokes heightened emotions when they fail, when they succeed, when they feel, and when they act. I was once a wallflower but never found a community when I was. In a way, Perks Of Being A Wallflower serves as a fantasy as I live out my past desire for community through Charlie and his friends.
Call Me By Your Name (2017):
Maybe it's because I've never traveled outside of my home country, but the backdrop all throughout "Call Me By Your Name" is dreamlike. It's this alone, for me, that serves as the foundation for why this film has remained so memorable for me. Because this dreamlike atmosphere is present, it makes the slow brewed romance, at the center of this film, more emotionally charged, more beautiful, and somehow, more seemingly innocent.
Incendies (2010):
Godfather I & II (1972) & (1974):
The Place Beyond The Pines (2013):
Although I have a great father who's always been a role model for masculinity. I also, for whatever reason, sought out role models in the movies I watched. Growing up rather pessimistically, with a tinge of depression, I gravitated toward the tragic, broken, rebellious, toxically masculine types. For the only reason that I admired how they dealt with their pain, their grief, and overall brokenness; a quality I admired but never could so elegantly adopt: repression. I admired, and to a lesser degree still do, their ability to repress and express it as a weirdly romanticized form of apathy because, to quote a line from Synecdoche New York, "no one wants to hear about my misery, because they have their own. Well... fuck everybody." They obviously have characteristics that are not ideal, but the ability to be, or give the appearance of, being your own island, uninfluenced by culture, society, family, to be truly yourself and be okay that no one is coming to save you from the mundanity or the dissapointment that is human existence, is truly, solely in my opinion, enviable.
Hell Or High Water (2016):
1917 (2019):
The score and the immersive single-take experience are the elements that make this film really one of the greatest films, made for theater, ever produced. Alone these elements are good, but together they make for incredible cinema. It is the appearance of a single take that invites us on a journey with the protagonist; we have a way of projecting ourselves to main protagonists, utilizing them as a surrogate on our filmic journey, but one takes makes this process naturally easier. on this journey we lose the same friends, we share in the fatigue, we share in the fear of the unknown, but it is the score that heightens these emotions and allows the ending to be much more cathartic.
All The President's Men (1976):
Blue Valentine (2010):
Almost all romantic films show the build up from strangers to lovers and end implying a happily ever after, but this isn't how love works. We all collectively know that the intensity we feel for someone in the beginning never lasts. Blue Valentine is a look at a couple from strangers to lovers and the downfall that sometimes comes after. What happens after the happily ever after, after toleration, unexpected responsibility, and compromise turns into resentment and there exists no remedy or reversal, after failed dreams and expectations are realized?
La Haine (1995):
Hombre (1967):
The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford (2007):
Reality never seems to live up to the legend. In the beginning, Robert Ford idolized the James brothers. That idolization, however, turned into disappointment, annoyance, and eventually, fear.
But it didn't seem like Bob was the only one disappointed with reality. Jesse James himself seemed to be chasing that very legend, that very perception of himself that didn't exist, and probably never did.
It seems like this film revolved around myth and reality. Even Robert, when he killed Jesse, stated that he expected applause, but instead he received scorn. Such a sad and tragic ending for a kid who sought to reach fame, but instead received infamy. He had little time to learn from his mistakes, to learn that expectations are not always aligned with reality. Such a sad and tragic ending for Jesse; a man so obsessed with his own image that he thinks he needs his reputation sustained for his own safety. It's this degradation of the mythos that leads him to kill his partners, thinking that everyone is turning on him.
La La Land (2016):
A journey toward self actualization or a journey toward traditional love; which would you choose? This is the question that was forced upon the protagonists, Sebastian and Mia.
Inside Llewyn Davis (2013):
As an aspiring filmmaker I wholeheartedly empathize with Llewyn Davis' struggle to find success. Llewyn is a folk singer dealing with a multitude of issues: He has to pay for an abortion for a woman he impregnated, he is couch surfing due to financial woes, he lost a neighbor's cat, he lost his partner to death, but most crucially, he can't find an audience or any hope of success for a passion he once had. It is a fear of mine to work so diligently to find success in that which I love, just for that work to eventually feel in vain as my love morphs into something I just pursue simply because I've been pursuing it for so long and haven't considered an alternative. Even as we arrive at what seems to be the conclusion, he is rejected by a music manager. At the point of the story where one normally expect/delivers a happy ending, Llewyn is denied one. Just like many of us might be denied in reality, it depicts a possible journey we might also unfortunately find ourselves roaming.
Hostiles (2017):
Hostiles Scene In this scene, Tommy seems to be expressing the disappointment and grief we sometimes feel when looking back at the atrocities carried out by our nation. His apology to the chief feels like a sincere apology from a nation for all its past wrongs. We begin the film with an established antagonist, or group of antagonist, the Comanche natives. Yet we empathize with the protagonist, Capt. Blocker who has a distaste, and at times hatred, for natives in general. I empathize and understand his view; in war it is only natural to take actions personally. However it is the eventual mutual contentment and earned respect that separates this film from other films I've seen that establish a clear protagonist and antagonist. Where else do you see both parties come to a mutual understanding and respect for one another? And it is the hidden allegory that is the reason I added this film to my list.
I am an American in 2020 and, at the moment, we live in. such a divisive time. A time of political party affiliation and an equal hatred and misunderstanding of the other side, a culture slowly brewing a covert culture of racism and bigotry even though it is the very boogieman we are attempting to destroy, and all of it seems to to stem from the past injustices of certain races. I share in the sympathy of the cause but not with the solutions presented. In hostiles, Capt Blocker who HATED Chief Yellow Hawk and his associates, just as we, at the very least, hate certain individuals who think differently and despise anyone closely, and at times tremendously loosely, associated with said individuals. However, Blocker comes to respect, understand, and befriend the Chief, after all the trials and tribulations they put each other through.
Westerns are usually a. commentary on our nation in one form or another and Hostiles is no different. It is a simultaneously commentary on America now and America's entire existence. As seen in the scene where Tommy apologizes to the Chief; it can be interpreted as a nation apologizes for its injustices; on the blacks, on the natives, on the Japanese, and now the Mexicans. However, the Capt. and the Chief's relationship can be interpreted as America now and what America could be; a nation of division and a nation of unintentionally produced hatred, but it can become a nation of understanding and unity.
Midnight In Paris (2011):
Owen Wilson is so incredibly charismatic in this film. His desire, which is the theme of this film, is pretty empathetic as well, which add to his character's charisma.
Owen's character begins with simply wanting to spend a night in Paris. He has an idealistic romanticized view of Paris. Eventually, what Paris becomes is a fantasy world where all the writers and artists he idolizes visits him throughout the night. He learns from them, receives helpful criticism and advice of his own, ...
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004):
Romantic relationships can take you to both, Nirvana, and Dante's 7th circle of hell. They can be the cause of your euphoria, or the reason for your misery. They can be simultaneously the best thing that's ever happened to you, and the worst. A rollercoaster of emotions and expectations. They'll eventually find things they don't like about you, and you'll "get bored and feel trapped." Yet, regardless, of all the emotional hardships we know we'll face, we venture on anyway. It is both an act of insanity and valor. Like a warrior who knows death is probable, the most pessimistic, cautious, and intelligent among us choose this potentially beautiful union with another, despite the equally horrible consequences that may come from giving another all of yourself. A possible exaggeration, I'm aware, a Schopenhauerian pessimist like I see it no other way. But one must admit that a union between two separate, independent, ever-growing, ever-changing individuals who are, possibly, evolutionarily prone to disappointment and boredom of one another is the definition of insanity.
It is this attractive insanity that is uniquely expressed in Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind. It seems evident to me that we, despite knowing the possible emotional hardships that a relationship might bring, decide to embark in one regardless. Joel and Clem not only have the awareness that we share, but also are completely aware of how one another might, or actually WILL, eventually feel about one another. Yet, despite this knowledge both have aquired, they decide to embark in this temporal journey with one another.
It is Joel's, "okay" that was the most profound line in the entire film. It is a sentiment that I share as well. A sentiment which states that despite the knowledge of what might, or in their case, will-come, what is our alternative? Despite what single women exclaim on Valentine's Day, is it truly better to be alone? Isolation promises certainty against betrayal, but there is also a metaphorical ceiling of potential euphoria. Boredom is inevitable in or out of a relationship, but is it not better to share this boredom, this life-induced collective misery, this general disappointment with another? As a man who is in a relationship myself, you know my answers; only time will tell if I'll ever change my mind.
Adaptation (2002):
Shawshank Redemption (1994):
"Get busy living, or get busy dying." One thing that makes Shawshank such a great film is how it inspires, the poetry spewed by Red, but most of all, it's the camaraderie built over just a couple of hours. I not only see friendships formed, but I feel as if I've formed some of my own, or at least, I grew to really care about these characters. I feel Red's pain when Andy leaves, I cry when Brooks kills himself, I cry again when Red and Andy reunite. It is a strong bond between me and these men.
It's Such A Beautiful Day (2012):
What began as such a comical take on the everyday happenstances we find ourselves in, developed into a dark reflection on our unfortunate mortality.
Ghost Story (2017):
A simple enough story: man dies, leaving his lover behind, he continues existing as a ghost, confined to the house he lived in and experiences time in rapid succession. Yet such a simple story leaves such a profound emotional effect. How is this achieved? I make the assumption it is done with its use of time. I think that anytime we experience time in a manner much faster than we're accustomed to, it grants us the perspective of an omnipresent observer; this perspective, I'll speak for myself, always puts my own life into perspective, it reminds me of the finality of my time, and how small and unimportant I truly am in the scope of all things. I think this is why the beginning of UP has a similarly profound effect on so many people. We are seeing the life of a fictional cartoon couple, yet the profundity lies in the relatable life presented in montage where in a few minutes we witness decades, and all of life is put into perspective.
Ghost Story also contains very little dialogue, which I think also contributes to the profundity of it in a manner I am not quite able to articulate at the moment. Maybe it allows us, like art critics staring at a painting, to interpret it ourselves, which, at times, can be way more enlightening than anything an artist can evoke purposefully or forcefully.
Synecdoche, New York (2008):
An existential nightmare that, as a perfectionist, I also find myself in. Synecdoche is about an artist's struggle to create a perfect masterpiece, only to die in the ruins of it. I share in this fear of unfinished creation when taking on any artistic endeavor I'm passionate about. This fear prevents me from ever finishing any art I begin. The tragedy lies in the personal fact that there exists no remedy for this problem. No matter how I decide to proceed, I will always be sacrificing my full artistic potential. On the one hand, I will never finish anything, and on the other, I will always create something I know I could've done better with. I will remain in this state of dissatisfaction and this is the hellish existence of a perfectionist. It is this struggle that Kaufman so brilliantly expresses in this film.
However, Synecdoche is way more than just a story of artistic creation, or lack thereof. It is about loneliness, relationships, love, the daily mundane routine, loss, and the whole of life as we perceive it; loneliness amidst relationships, routine producing existential crises, and the unfortunate inevitable reality of loss over time; loss of loved ones, loss of opportunities, loss of hope and innocence, and loss of time. Caden attempts to create a synecdoche of life, but in his struggle, Kaufman achieves it.
Memorable Scenes From Not So Memorable Films & Why
Memorable Scenes From Memorable Films & Why
Great Analytical Youtube Videos on Film
My Favorite Art
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31 Oct 2016 adamsmithsociety
CFP: HES & University of Palermo Conference in Palermo, "From Scotland to the South of the Mediterranean: The Thought of Adam Smith Through Europe and Beyond"
"From Scotland to the South of the Mediterranean: The Thought of Adam Smith Through Europe and Beyond"
International Conference of the History of Economics Society (HES) and University of Palermo, Sicily (Italy)
Adam Smith is one of those authors who have left a very profound sign in the history of ideas. An influence that has contributed to model not only the culture but also the institutions and the policy of the modern society and that can be explained by observing the international spread of his thought, which reached every corner of the world in a short lapse of time.
Yet, the reception of Smithian ideas was not a unique and uniform process, equal for every country, because different regional contexts conditioned it. Smith's works made entry through institutional, cultural, linguistic, religious, and political filters which were not neutral and which affected the reading, understanding and use of them.
Europe and the Mediterranean are two geographical areas – but not the only – to observe the spread of Smithian thought because of the rich pluralism characterizing their regions and nations. With reference to this prospective, the University of Palermo – supported by the History of Economics Society (HES New Initiatives Fund) – invites proposals for papers and/or sessions along the lines listed below or on others relevant to develop this prospective of inquiry.
The thematic directions suggested are:
Adam Smith, the Scottish Enlightenment and the European Enlightenment: similarities, differences in methods and analysis, influences, intellectual disagreements;
The intellectual link between Smith's teaching and the development of a national style of economics in the various countries from the 18th century to the 19th and 20th centuries;
The reception of Smithian thoughts in different religious frameworks: Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, Muslim and Jewish;
Smithian liberalism as an intellectual source of the liberal revolutionary phase that in the 19th century changed the political and economic face of Europe and the Mediterranean;
The works of Adam Smith: language, style, translations.
Official language: English
The Scientific Committee:
Christopher Berry (University of Glasgow), Maria Pia Paganelli (Trinity University), Sandra Peart (University of Richmond), Fabrizio Simon (University of Palermo), Craig Smith (University of Glasgow)
The Organizing Committee:
Fabrizio Simon, Anna Li Donni, Cristina Guccione, Anna Rita Panebianco
Scholars planning to participate should submit a 500-word abstract for a paper or a 1000-word abstract for a session, specifying in the following abstract form: the title of their presentation and the conference theme, their full name and institutional affiliation, and an e-mail address for correspondence.
Deadlines to remember:
Submission of abstracts: No later than 8 January 2017
Notification of acceptance: 28 February 2017
Registration: No later than 30 April 2017
Sending of paper: No later than 31 May 2017
For further information on the conference (venue, registration, accommodation) see the conference website at http://www.unipa.it/dipartimenti/seas/SmithConference/
Women, Money, and Markets Conference at KCL – Call for Papers
CFP: Deadline Extended for History of Economics Society International Conference in Palermo

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Miscreants Hacked Argentine National At ISKCON Mayapur
By Contributor | Sep 13, 2013
Mayapur, Sept. 6: In a ghastly incident an Argentine National was brutally hacked with sharp weapon by miscreants at his apartment located at the ISKCON campus in Mayapur late on Friday night.
The victim identified as Ricardo Antonio Palaruz (Sadhu Das), 60, was critically injured and taken to Saktinagar district hospital in Krishnanagar. However, after providing the initial treatment he was transferred to a Kolkata based private hospital later at night.
Police, meanwhile, have arrested two persons in connection with the attack. However, their identity was not disclosed by the sleuths.
SP Nadia SR Mishra and DSP (HQ) Dibyajyoti Bose rushed to Saktinagar hospital to monitor treatment of the elderly Argentine National.
"We have initiated investigation into the matter. The reason behind the attack is not quite clear to us. However, according to the
initial report available from different sources, the Argentine National had developed contention with a local person over purchase
of a land in Mayapur, who is also a Iskcon devotee", said a senior police officer.
According to sources at Saktinagar district hospital, the victim has sustained deep wounds made by sharp weapons on his face, chest, head, hand and other places.
"He was profusely bleeding when brought to the hospital, we provided some medicines to him and bandaged the wounds and referred him to city based hospital for better treatment", said a doctor who treated the victim at the Saktinagar hospital.
According to the police sources, the incident occurred at about 9.45 pm when Ricardo was preparing for sleep at his apartment located on the fifth floor of a multi storied building.
A person with whom Ricardo has been dealing for a land knocked his door. Sources said, he developed contention with the man over the deal which could not be finalized. When Ricardo opened the door, the miscreants who were five in number armed with sharp weapons entered his room and started hacking him at random.
Sources said, Ricardo raised an alarm when the miscreants fled. Some locals chased them, but they disappeared in the darkness of night.
Tag: crime , mayapura , violence


Visiting Princeton scored a first-half goal and looked to be on their way to South Bend until the Wolverines cancelled their travel plans. Michigan senior Noah Kleedtke scored in the 75th minute to tie the game at 1-1 and the Wolverines won on penalty kicks to advance to the second round of the NCAA Touranment.
Michigan (12-5-3) will face No. 7 Notre Dame on Sunday in the second round in South Bend, Ind. The Fighting Irish won the regular-season contest, 2-1, on Oct. 16. Sunday's match will begin at 5 p.m. at Alumni Stadium.
Michigan sophomore Henry Mashburn made three huge saves in the penalty kick shootout to help the Maize and Blue advance in the NCAA Tournament on a snow-covered Thursday at U-M Soccer Stadium.
Deadlocked at 1 after 110 minutes, the two teams went to a 14-round penalty kick shootout on the north end of the stadium. Princeton had two chances to advance, but Mashburn was there for the save in both round five (on Sean McSherry) and in round 12 (on Bryan Prudil). Sophomore Jackson Ragen converted the go-ahead PK in the 14th round, and Mashburn guessed right on Danny Hampton, pawing the shot off the right post to send the U-M Soccer Stadium crowd into a frenzy.
The conditions on Thursday were far from ideal. Several inches of snow fell throughout the day and blanketed the pitch, causing slick conditions for the players and the ball. It was an extremely physical match with 46 total fouls called and eight cards issued, six of them shown to Michigan.


13.56 MHz based interface that meets ISO 14443A (MIFARE®) standards.
The ability to read 32 bit MIFARE serial numbers.
Advanced key management systems to reduce the risk of compromised data or duplicated cards.
A Wiegand output that easily interfaces with most existing Wiegand protocol access control panels.
Compact and Elegant. Easily installed on walls and doors.
A factory configurable bi-color LED bar and multi-tone buzzer that provides distinguishable indicators.
SmartRID is MIFARE® based smart card reader. Smart reader makes access control and read applications more powerful, more versatile, and most importantly offers enhanced security through encryption and mutual authentication.


Central Technologies, Inc has been the recipient of multiple industry certifications and awards over the years.
Central Technologies, Inc. obtains Intel Platinum Technology Provider status again for 2015!
http://www.centralinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/intel-platinum-provider-2015.jpg 185 246 central http://www.centralinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/CTI-Logo-1.png central2017-07-05 15:04:422018-08-28 18:42:17Central Technologies, Inc. obtains Intel Platinum Technology Provider status again for 2015!
Central Technologies, Inc. obtains Intel Platinum Technology Provider status again for 2014!
http://www.centralinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/intel-platinum-provider-2014.jpg 185 246 central http://www.centralinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/CTI-Logo-1.png central2017-05-03 13:20:502017-07-05 15:02:28Central Technologies, Inc. obtains Intel Platinum Technology Provider status again for 2014!
Central Technologies, Inc. has been awarded the 2012 Rookie of the Year award from eInstruction at eInstruction's Summit in Arizona.
Intel has announced that Central Technologies, Inc. has obtained Intel Platinum Status for 2013!


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Alibaba se...
Alibaba sets up AI research centre in Singapore
Wednesday, February 28 2018
Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba on Wednesday opened an artificial intelligence research institute in Singapore in partnership with a local university, as the battle to develop AI technology heats up.
The institute, a tie-up with Nanyang Technological University (NTU), is Alibaba's first joint research centre outside mainland China. It aims to develop cutting-edge AI technologies in areas such as elderly care and urban transport. The institute will carry out research on artificial intelligence technologies for an initial five years, starting with a pool of 50 researchers from both organisations, according to a joint press statement.
Alibaba chief technology officer Jeff Zhang said the Singapore venture was part of research and development efforts by Alibaba's DAMO Academy, which was launched last year. A focus of the institute will be on technologies to help in caring for the elderly, including developing robot companions to stay with them at home and sensors to help detect problems.
"Using AI technologies, we can address fundamental societal challenges such as an ageing population," said NTU president Subra Suresh. Singapore, a city-state of 5.6 million people, has a rapidly ageing population which is causing problems such as labour shortages. There is intense competition among leading companies in the area of artificial intelligence, with Google, Microsoft and Amazon scrambling to develop new software and technologies. (AFP)
alibaba	china	ai


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Problematic Moments and Trigger Warnings
Book Review Directory
Hell and Styx
52 Letters in the Alphabet
for readers who write and writers who read
Book Review: Frindle by Andrew Clements
February 16, 2015 February 15, 2015 Jocelyn @ 52LettersLeave a comment
This is a book my little sister, Maleia, read and really enjoyed. She asked me to read it and I suggested that we post a join review of the book here.
Maleia's rating: 4.5/5 stars
Amazon description of Frindle
Is Nick Allen a troublemaker? He really just likes to liven things up at school — and he's always had plenty of great ideas. When Nick learns some interesting information about how words are created, suddenly he's got the inspiration for his best plan ever…the frindle. Who says a pen has to be called a pen? Why not call it a frindle? Things begin innocently enough as Nick gets his friends to use the new word. Then other people in town start saying frindle. Soon the school is in an uproar, and Nick has become a local hero. His teacher wants Nick to put an end to all this nonsense, but the funny thing is frindle doesn't belong to Nick anymore. The new word is spreading across the country, and there's nothing Nick can do to stop it.
Maleia's (age 9) review:
This book is very funny, especially the characters. Nick is the main character. I liked that he was impulsive and that his plans worked out for other people, but definitely not himself. Nick is a trouble maker, but is smart as well. Making up the word caused trouble for the grownups in his life, especially Mrs. Granger, but he hadn't really done anything wrong, and the other kids thought he was smart to make up a new word.
Mrs. Granger is his English teacher and she loves the dictionary (almost worships it). She hates getting rid of the word pen because of its history, which starts a battle with Nick. In the end, the reader ends up liking her character, even if we thought she was the "villain."
The plot was kind of realistic but did not feel like it could actually happen in real life. This made it fun to read because it was like going into another world. Each event hooks you into the next event and makes you keep reading. I liked how the adults got involved in it. I thought it was funny how the parents supported their son even though everyone else thought it was a problem.
I loved the way the author packed so much into the small book. I would recommend this book to people who like humor and pranks.
I actually really enjoyed reading this book. It was quick–barely two hours, I think–but there was a lot of plot crammed in (as Maleia said).
I was expecting the plot to be ridiculous, but it actually came of pretty realistic. The way the word spread across the world–which could have been cheesy–surprised me with its simplicity and believably. My father (who works in marketing) said that the licensing aspect of the plot was also accurate. Overall, the plot was crazy enough to be in a middle grade book, but relatable enough for older audiences to enjoy.
I liked Nick as the protagonist. He was smart and creative with his pranks, and none of them were crazy enough to destroy believably. His pranks–and the dynamic they created with Mrs. Granger–reminded me of Love and Other Unknown Variables.
The book's focus on word origins and language was well done. Clements conveyed his message and factual information in a fun and engaging format. For me, it felt like it told its message rather than showing it, but for a younger audience I don't think that was so much of a problem.
The back cover says it is appropriate for ages 8-12. Personally, it read younger than that, but since the main character is in fifth grade, I understand where this ranking came from (maybe). I would recommend it to kids in elementary school (especially in 2nd or 3rd grade) who want to read a book written with simple vocabulary and voice but with a more advanced message.
Andrew Clements, book review, book reviews, elementary school, MG books, middle grade, reading
Book Review: Splintered by AG Howard — DNF
Top Ten Book Related Problems I Have
I'm Jocelyn
Hey :) I'm Jocelyn, a college sophomore who loves reading and writing. This blog is a showcase for my written work, a place to fangirl about my favorite books, and a random collection of bits of my life. Hope you enjoy it!
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Welcome to the New Comics List here at Comic Booked, where you'll find all the new releases for this and every week. Marvel Comics is coming after your wallet with 26 new comics this week including War of the Realms #2, Thor #12, Daredevil #4, Magnificent Ms. Marvel #2, and Major X #2 just to name a few of the massive comic flood.
New at DC Comics this week be on the look out for Batman #69, Justice League #22, Teen Titans #29, Naomi #4 and Aquaman #47 and that's just to get started. Remember comic book fan, Free Comic Book Day is fast approaching so make sure you have looked all the free comics you can grab this year, here's a link for you. FCBD Remember to leave a comment and let us know what you're excited to pick up this week and on free comic book day. Happy Reading Comic Fans!


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January 30, 2019 by Claire 'Word by Word'
Total Chaos (Marseilles Trilogy #1) by Jean-Claude Izzo tr. Howard Curtis
I've been looking forward to picking this novel up, because it's set in and around the streets and coastal inlets of Marseilles (our local city) and even ventures into Aix-en-Provence and Vauvenargues (the scene of a murder in the novel – though known locally because Picasso lived in the château there). It was originally published in French in 1995, when Izzo was 50 years old, a mere five years before his premature passing.
Fabio Montale used to hang out with his friends Manu and Ugo, when they were growing up in the same neighbourbood of Marseilles. They were eyeing up his cousin Angèle as he escorted her home after a family visit. That first time he encountered them, they insulted him, he lashed out and got into a scuffle. He didn't see them again until September, when they found themselves in the same class. They became firm friends.
Fast forward, they're separated during compulsory military training, on their return they've become men.
Disillusioned and cynical. Slightly bitter too. We had nothing. We hadn't even learned a trade. No future. Nothing but life. But a life without a future is better than no life at all.
Discovering that even hard work doesn't promise fast, easy money they think about opening a bookstore, but need funding, it's the beginning of the slippery slope into a criminal life. They soon forget about the shop, having too much fun chasing danger and celebrating its rewards. Until it gets serious and someone gets hurt.
Looking at the city from my balcony. I could hear my father snoring. He'd worked hard all his life, and suffered a lot, but I didn't think I'd ever be as happy as he was. Lying on the bed, completely drunk, I swore on my mother, whose picture I had in front of me, that if the guy pulled through I'd become a priest, and if he didn't pull through I'd become a cop.
They haven't seen each other for years and now Manu has been killed. Fabio has become a cop but hasn't been put on this case, regardless, he makes it his personal responsibility to find out what happened.
They promised to stay true to one another and swore that nothing would break their bond. But people and circumstances change. Ugo and Manu have been drawn into the criminal underworld of Europe's toughest, most violent and vibrant city. When Manu is murdered and Ugo returns from abroad to avenge his friend's death, only to be killed himself, it is left to the third in this trio, Detective Fabio Montale, to ensure justice is done.
Vauvenargues, scene of a murder
As the story unfolds, he identifies who is involved in local criminal factions, the mafia, and attempts to unravel how his friend had come between them.
We meet an immigrant family, a father and his three children, whose mother died giving birth to the youngest. Having encountered them over a skirmish in a shop in one of the projects, Fabio befriends them. When a member of the family disappears, the two stories begin to overlap and Fabio has another more immediate crime to solve.
Each chapter takes us to another corner of Marseilles, each car ride and return home to the fishing village of Les Goudes (my pictures below) introduces us to a segment of music and the women in his life; while there may not be a peaceful solution to the pervasive bitterness and revenge laced throughout Izzo's fragmented world, one thing offers him temporary respite and hope is music. It represents the cultural richness and diversity of this city, populated by a mix of African, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern immigrants.
(If you're interested in what those musical instruments are doing in Les Goudes, read my post here – Champ Harmonique MP2013)
All this creates not just the plot of a crime story, but a picture of a man immersed and entangled in his complex city, attached to his familial village, his boat, the sea his refuge and his reliable motherly neighbour Honorine, who makes up for some of the lack in his life.
Although I was a good listener, I was never any good at confiding in anyone. At the last moment, I always clammed up. I was always ready to lie, rather than talk about what was wrong. It wasn't that I didn't have the courage. I just didn't trust anyone. Not enough, anyhow, to put my life and my feelings in another's hands. And I knocked myself out trying to solve everything on my own. The vanity of a loser. I had to face it, I'd lost everything in my life.
It's a journey through the senses, that penetrates the heart and soul of an unforgiving city whose inhabitants love it fiercely, in the pursuit of keeping a promise made in youth.
In a moving eulogy transcribed in the front of the book, Massimo Carlotto pays tribute to Izzo over his adept mastery of Mediterranean noir, different to French noir:
His use of the noir genre is not limited simply to description but penetrates deep into the heart of the incongruities, leaving room for sociological reflection and for a return to his generation's collective memory, and above all, gives sense to the present day.
Jean-Claude Izzo when asked about the phenomenal success of his trilogy, characteristically chose to shine the light on the city he loved:
"Essentially, I think I have been rewarded for having depicted the real beauty of Marseilles, its gusto, its passion for life, and the ability of its inhabitants to drink life down to the last drop."
N.B. Thank you to the publisher Europa Editions for providing a review copy.
Buy a Copy of Total Chaos via Book Depository
Posted in Crime fiction, Fiction, French Culture, French Literature, Translation	| Tagged Crime fiction, French literature, Jean-Claude Izzo, Marseilles Trilogy, Mediterannean noir, Total Chaos, translated fiction | 8 Comments
The Bastards of Pizzofalcone by Maurizio De Giovanni tr. Andrew Shegaar #WorldNoir
Crime fiction isn't my usual choice, but I've been reading Italian literature in the past week, and since this is also set in Naples and came from Europa Editions, I decided to take a break from the more literary style and read this novel classified as 'world noir' (a tribute and new imprint dedicated to the best in international crime fiction).
A quick look up tells me that noir fiction has its roots in hard-boiled fiction ( a tough, unsentimental style American of crime writing) where the protagonist is often an outcast, alienated. However, Kim Fay from LA Review of Books, when reading noir, used to preparing herself for 'bleak cynicism and uncomfortable moral ambiguity' is pleasantly surprised, referring to De Giovanni's Pizzofalcone precinct series and empathetic characters as 'tender noir':
"Reading the Pizzofalcone Precinct series, by Maurizio de Giovanni, I quickly discovered that I can still be surprised. These books didn't get to me with an extra dose of soul-sucking fatalism or some harrowing new breed of self-destructive protagonist. Instead, their emotional "gotcha!" came in the unexpected form of tenderness.
Tender noir? Is such a thing possible? Yes — and it adds a richness that many noir novels lack." Kim Fay, LARB
As for alienated, the entire team at the Pizzofalcone precinct in Naples fit that mould, the place was about to be closed down, due to the previous investigative branch have been suspended for being implicated in a crime, the precinct may still be shut down, depending on how this new team of misfits work together and whether they succeed.
The Pizzofalcone precinct covers four distinct neighbourhoods: upmarket, poor, business and historic, it is like a microcosm of the city of Naples, an area where each of it many elements are likely to sidle up against one another.
"The precinct isn't big, but its crowded; it encompasses a part of the Spanish Quarter and stretches on down to the waterfront. Four different worlds, in other words: the lumpenproletariat, as we used to say in the old days; the white-collar middle class; the businessmen of the upper middle-class; and the aristocracy. Everything except manufacturing, in an area barely three kilometres on a side. One of the oldest police districts in the city, small but strategic."
All of them have been transferred from their previous workplaces, renegades who are unwelcome where they currently are, involved in some kind of misdemeanour – although in the case of the Sicilican Inspector Lojacono, who becomes the lead investigator of the new murder case, he was both specially requested due to his reputation and passed on without regret, due to allegations of corruption that have tainted and alienated him, since he showed everyone up in his last case by solving it while everyone else was looking in a different direction.
He is new to Naples, he has a teenage daughter he is worried about, a pizza waitress who is eyeing him up and a high-ranking magistrate whom he daydreams inappropriately of.
The wife of a notary is found dead in their apartment with no forced entry and so they set to and investigate, introducing us to various elements of working and non-working Neapolitan life, including an elderly woman who sits at her window all day, every day and is suspicious about the new occupant of an apartment opposite her, a beautiful young woman also never leaves her apartment.
We are also introduced to the obsession of the policemen Giorgio Pisanelli, who collects information about all the recent suicides in the precinct, convinced there is a connection between them and that they are not suicides.
It's a well-paced, intriguing read, a few short chapters in italics, portraying characters who may be suspects, characters who are trying to hide something, this narrative adding to the mystery and has the reader trying to guess who it might be. I really enjoyed it and even though I didn't guess the revelation at the end, I appreciated that it wasn't overly full of twists, neither was it completely obvious.
The author succeeds in portraying Naples both through the eyes of the newcomer and with the familiarity of a local, adding a compelling element of discovery and opening the way for future instalments. The team was well portrayed, interesting but quirky characters, that clearly will continue, since the resolution of this crime should serve to keep the precinct open, these renegades forming into a solid team while navigating the fine edge between the ongoing surety of their positions and a volatile potential to destroy it with one reckless mistake.
Maurizio de Giovanni was born in Naples in 1958 and for many years worked in a bank, though not a natural vocation, his colleagues attest he always had his nose in a book and it was in fact they who entered him in a short story competition in 2005 for 'giallo novelists' (a 20th-century Italian mystery, thriller or horror genre of literature and film) that was the catalyst to his becoming a successful crime writer.
That story introduced detective Commissario Ricciardi and spawned a series of books set in 1930 Naples, fascist Italy. His parents were born in 1930's Naples, their lives and experiences clearly an influence contributing to his passionate for pre-war Naples of the 1930's and the city today.
The Bastards of Pizzofalcone, originally published in 2013, marked his transition from the noir genre to the police procedural and a move from the 1930's to contemporary life in Naples. The series featuring Inspector Lojacono continues (there are six books in Italian) and is being made into a television series in 2017.
Note: Thank you to the publisher Europa Edition, for providing a copy of this book.
Buy a copy of The Bastards of Pizzofalcone via Book Depository here
Posted in Crime fiction, Fiction, Italian Literature, Translation	| Tagged book review, books, Crime fiction, Italian Literature, Maurizio De Giovanni, Pizzofalcone Precinct Series, The Bastards of Pizzofalcone, world noir | 6 Comments
The Dry by Jane Harper
Australia is in the midst of coping with an extremely hot summer, Sydney and Brisbane experiencing the hottest January on record, February looking even hotter with the arrival of a heat wave and increased fire risks in Victoria and New South Wales (where currently 49 fires are burning across the state, 17 of which are not contained and the fire rating is at the level of "catastrophic").
A situation that makes the context of Jane Harper's new novel seem wearily appropriate.
The Dry is Jane Harper's cracking debut crime fiction novel set in a fictional southeastern Australian town, suffering the effects of the 'The Big Dry', a nine-year drought.
T he story follows Aaron Falk, a police officer from Melbourne, who returns to the town he and father were run out of many years back, for the funeral of his childhood friend Luke. It is clear he wants the visit over and done with as soon as possible and is unwilling to engage with anyone.
However Luke's father is not happy with the way the police have handled his son's apparent murder/suicide and asks Falk to stay and look into it.
With several twists, suspects and an intriguing back story of another death of a girl that occurred when the friends were teenagers, it sets a good pace, while exploring the effect of climatic conditions on a small rural community and the circumstances that cause others to seek out smaller towns as an escape.
Jane Harper is at work on her next novel, which also features the protagonist Aaron Falk.
I reviewed The Dry for Bookbrowse, where you can read the full review and a Beyond the Book article on The Big Dry.
Australia Swelters in Heatwave and argues about Energy Future – The Guardian, Friday 10 Feb, 2017
A Page-Turner of a Mystery Set in a Parched Australia – NY Times review
Posted in Australian Literature, Fiction	| Tagged Australian literature, book review, books, Crime fiction, Drought, Fire Danger, Jane Harper, The Dry | 11 Comments
October 16, 2015 by Claire 'Word by Word'
Man Booker Prize Winner 2015
On Tuesday 13 October the Man Booker Prize for 2015 was announced.
This years winner was 44-year-old Marlon James from Jamaica (now living in Minneapolis, USA). He is the first writer from Jamaica to win the prize in its 47 year history.
My One Summer Chunkster – A Brief History of Seven Killings
His book A Brief History of Seven Killings is a fictional history, an imagined biography of the singer Bob Marley, and the events surrounding an attempted assassination in 1976. Crediting Charles Dickens as one of his former influences, here in his 686 page epic, James pulls together a band of characters:
from witnesses and FBI and CIA agents to killers, ghosts, beauty queens and Keith Richards' drug dealer – to create a rich, polyphonic study of violence, politics and the musical legacy of Kingston of the 1970s
Michael Wood, Chair of the judges, commented:
'This book is startling in its range of voices and registers, running from the patois of the street posse to The Book of Revelation. It is a representation of political times and places, from the CIA intervention in Jamaica to the early years of crack gangs in New York and Miami.
'It is a crime novel that moves beyond the world of crime and takes us deep into a recent history we know far too little about. It moves at a terrific pace and will come to be seen as a classic of our times.'
It sounds like a riveting pageturner, with its cast of over 75 characters and voices. I haven't read the book, but I've requested my local library buy it. Here is what a few reviewers have had to say:
Eileen Battersby, The Irish Times – Booker winner Marlon James tops Tarantino for body count
Reading Marlon's prose is akin to injecting liquid fire into your brain.
Kei Miller, The Guardian – bloody conflicts in 70s Jamaica
tendency to inhabit the dark and gory places, and to shine a light on them
Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times – Jamaica via a Sea of Voices
raw, dense, violent, scalding, darkly comic, exhilarating and exhausting
Have you read it yet? Or planning to?
Posted in Caribbean Literature, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Jamaican Literature	| Tagged A Brief History of Seven Killings, awards, books, Caribbean Literature, Crime fiction, culture, fiction, Jamaican Literature, Man Booker Prize, Marlon James | 18 Comments
May 18, 2012 by Claire 'Word by Word'
A Letter to her Sister
Hyde Park by Stella Leivadi @treknature.com
After the slow meander through Nancy Goldstone's 'The Maid and the Queen', I reached for this library book because I was sure it would have pace and I am long overdue reading it, considering I gave it to my sister for Christmas two years ago.
Rosamund's Lupton's 'Sister' is set in London, from Notting Hill to Hyde Park, in a police station and St Anne's Hospital.
It is Beatrice's book long letter to her missing sister Tess, in which she narrates everything that took place from the moment she heard of her sister's disappearance until now, when she will recount the entire episode as a kind of tribute to her sister. Telling a story in this way, as Ruby Soames does in her excellent 'Seven Days to Tell You' makes the reading of it more intimate, there's less use of the I and they and more than usual of the you and your. It's almost a conversation, only the narrator speaks and you listen.
Beatrice has been living in New York and the disappearance of her sister brings her back to London and provides some distance and perspective on her own life, which will change forever as she attempts to uncover what really happened to her sister, refusing to accept the conclusions of the police and the easy acceptance of their verdict by her mother and fiancé.
As I put down the phone I saw Todd looking at me. 'What exactly are you hoping to achieve here?' And in the words 'exactly' and 'here' I heard the pettiness of our relationship. We had been united by superficial tendrils of the small and the mundane, but the enormous fact of your death was ripping each fragile connection.
It being something of a mystery, I do try to second guess not just the culprit but also the twist, there always is one isn't there? I often look for the character that is barely mentioned and I was aware that this particular narrative perspective can be the perfect conduit for the unreliable narrator. However, in this case, I neither predicted the culprit nor saw the twist right until it occurred, leaving me in admiration of Lupton's ability to outwit and pleasantly surprise her readers.
I look forward to reading her second novel 'Afterwards'.
Posted in Fiction	| Tagged book review, books, Crime fiction, Hyde Park, Letters, London, Rosamund Lupton, Ruby Soames, Sister | 14 Comments


Mark Mulhern always knew he wanted to be an artist. Today he is a well-known painter, draughtsman and printmaker living and working in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He realized success early in his career after participating in solo and group exhibitions in Milwaukee, Chicago and New York. Mulhern's early expressionistic works are exercises in subjective reflection. His large figurative paintings were executed in bold colors with dreamlike imagery employing the psychoanalytical technique of free association. In later years his paintings have become more objective featuring figures caught in unselfconscious gestures as they as they interact in everyday activities.


Last week as expected, USDA pared its estimate of the 2018 Argentina corn crop by 3.0 million metric tons to 36 mln tonnes vs. 41.0 million last year.
USDA also lowered the Argentine soybean output projection this year to 47 million metric tons vs. 54 million projected last month vs. 57.80 million a year ago.
These USDA's estimates may be dated however, for though they note that heat and dryness in January and February that continued into early March reduced yield prospects for later, planted corn fields and results for the early planted crop have been lower than expected, severe drought conditions persist even as of this writing.
Some feel that this year's Argentine corn crop may be as low as 31-32 million tonnes.
A similar situation for soybeans that has succumbed to dry conditions with updated estimates for this crop closer to 43-44 million tonnes.
Supporting this contention is the realization that this year's cumulative precipitation from September 1 to the first week of March is far lower than seen in other years when corn and soybean yields were well below trend.
The USDA Secretary WASDE briefing slides show Argentine soil moisture in the six main crop area regions with 2013 along with 1997 being highlighted along with this year as seasons when rainfall was well below average and one of the graphics indicate that soil moisture this year is well below levels seen in both 2013 and 1997.
This graphic shows the percent that Argentina's corn and soybean yield deviated from the 30 year trend.
In 1997 the Argentine corn yield was 9.9% below trend with soybeans that year coming in 24.5% below trend while in 2013 corn yields were 20% below trend and soybeans 16.7% below trend.
The latest USDA yield estimates this season are corn 15.3% below trend and soybeans 9.2% below trend.
With total moisture lower this year than in 1997 or 2013 so far this season this could mean further reductions in Argentina's corn and soybean yields which is the assumption of most private analysts.


You can share with the kids your personal coins collection. They will be amazed to see all the details and shapes. Then, you can give them the noise of all the coins as the coins are casted into a metal-box.
Thanks for the idea. You're so right! Kids love to examine unusual coins. I've collected a few coins in my travels and I like to bring them out for lessons such as Zacchaeus the Tax Collector and the Parable of the Lost Coin.


It's never too early to get the young interested in Gardening, says Silas Silage, our resident green fingered guru.
One of the joys of gardening is the opportunity to share one's expertise with the young. I learnt many tricks and wrinkles from my old grandad, and I never miss an opportunity to pass on my knowledge to the next generation.
A lot of your young people today could be rescued from a life of vandalism and racing around in cars, drinking cider and getting young ladies into trouble if they spent more time in the garden with an experienced older hand. (OK, we get the message –Ed).
From time to time I do a bit of gardening at a local private girls school, which gives me an ample opportunity to educate some very posh young ladies on Mother Nature's ways. And delightful creatures they are, mostly.
I always dress appropriately when I go there as it's important to be well turned out. I have some very natty camouflaged battle fatigues which I got from the Yeovil boot sale, and I must say I cut a fine military figure, although you have to be very sharp-eyed to see me, such is the subtlety of the dappled medley of greens, browns and yellows.
This week the bursar, Major Carstairs, has asked me to have a go at the "bower", a secluded leafy garden behind the swimming pool. There's a wrought iron gate covered with ivy and a notice "Private – Upper VI Form only".
I let myself in and my, what a beautiful sight. A close trimmed lawn, and beautiful scented arrays of flowers, lavender, sage, elephant grass, climbing roses, neat box hedges and some nice topiary on the privet, all set about with garden chairs and sun loungers. A statue of a man carrying a spear and wearing a sheet, with laurel leaves around his head stares at me.
It's a hot day, and the bees are a buzzin', so I prepare to take my customary pre-work forty winks before getting on with the weeding. There's no-one about, so I crawl into the shade, ease my braces, take a quick peg of elderflower whisky, and shut my eyes.
I dream I am in heaven, with beautiful angels administering to my every need, bathing my temples and bringing me tasty treats, grapes and stuff.
I must have been asleep for some time, because I awake to the tinkling sound of young laughter. I open my eyes to realize I am surrounded by young ladies reading books and chatting, and none of them are wearing anything but little string things round their bottoms. Wouldn't do for Mrs Silage, that's for sure.
Omigod, they're virtually naked! Oh dear. Oh dear me! Luckily they haven't seen me.
feet with an agonized howl, grabbing my leg and hopping around like a mad thing. At the same moment my unbraced trousers fall to my knees. "It's a man!"cries one of the girls, and they all take up the chorus like a treeful of jays. It's a man! It's a man!
One of them is on the phone. "It's a man!" she cries.
Best to beat retreat. I grab my hoe and knapsack and begin hopping to the gate, trousers at half mast. Just then I hear a siren. Must be a fire somewhere.
Presumably Mr Silage's next post may concern the joys of prison gardening unless those wishy washy liberal magistrates simply bind him over to keep the peace. The Rat thinks they should throw away the key in this sort of case.
It would be a gross miscarriqge of justice if your correspondent went to jail for this one. Will someone organise a petition to save him?


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Hockey Canada: Canadian Tire cuts ties as group 'continues to resist' change – National
By Cameren Barnes Last updated Oct 6, 2022
Hockey Canada is losing more major sponsorships — at least one apparently permanently — ahead of the 2022-23 season due to continued concerns from companies about the federation's handling of sexual assault allegations.
The flight of sponsors comes as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday warned that Hockey Canada's refusal to take the matter seriously could spur efforts to "get rid" of the organization.
Canadian Tire confirmed in a Thursday statement to Global News that it had made the decision to "end its partnership with Hockey Canada."
"In our view, Hockey Canada continues to resist meaningful change and we can no longer confidently move forward together," a statement from the company read.
"CTC is proud of our commitment to sport and will continue to invest in our beloved national game by re-directing support to hockey-related organizations that better align with our values."
In the last 24 hours, Telus, Tim Hortons and Scotiabank have also all confirmed they will not support men's hockey programs in the upcoming season.
"We are deeply disheartened by the lack of action and commitment from Hockey Canada to drive necessary cultural change," a spokesperson for Telus wrote in the latest statement.
"TELUS will not be sponsoring Hockey Canada's men's hockey programs for the 2022-23 season, including the upcoming World Juniors tournament. We remain passionate fans and supporters of the sport of hockey and stand committed to enabling systemic change to make hockey safe for all."
Tim Hortons, Scotiabank cut Hockey Canada sponsorships for 2022-23 men's programs
As the backlash continues to grow, Prime Minister Trudeau slammed Hockey Canada leadership as he walked into a cabinet meeting on Thursday.
"Hockey Canada has completely lost the confidence of Canadians," he said.
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"The longer it takes (Hockey Canada) to realize that, the more difficult it's going to be, not just for them, which is fine, but for kids in hockey, for juniors, for people who rely on that organization to play the sport they love and to have winter activities this winter."
Trudeau added that it is "inconceivable" that Hockey Canada leadership continues to "dig in."
"It's not like there's something extraordinarily special about the people at Hockey Canada that means they are the only people in the country that can run an organization like this. There's lots of people who could run it," he said.
"There needs to be wholesale change … They need to realize that if we have to create an organization, get rid of Hockey Canada and create an organization called Canada Hockey instead, people will look at doing that. There is a lack of understanding that they've lost the confidence of Canadians, and the sooner they get to that, the better it'll be for everyone."
The decision from multiple sponsors to pull their support comes after members of Parliament repeatedly pressed Hockey Canada officials for answers during a heated meeting on Tuesday about the organization's handling of sexual assault.
MPs grill Hockey Canada execs over handling of sex abuse claims
The development also follows a Globe and Mail report, published on Monday, that revealed Hockey Canada put player registration fees towards a second fund "for matters including but not limited to sexual abuse," according to documents obtained by the newspaper.
News of the first fund, Hockey Canada's National Equity Fund, first broke over the summer. The use of the fund to cover sexual assault and abuse settlements sparked an outcry from parents, politicians and sponsors across the country.
During a committee meeting in July, executives told MPs that the fund — which was fuelled in part by children's registration fees — had paid out $7.6 million in nine settlements related to sexual assault and sexual abuse claims since 1989.
CFO Brian Cairo told MPs during a July committee meeting that $6.8 million of that total was related to Graham James, a former Canadian junior ice hockey coach who pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault in 1997. Uninsured settled claims made up another $1.3 million of the payouts, $1 million of which resulted from four incidents from a single perpetrator.
Hockey Canada said in July it would no longer use this fund for sexual abuse claims.
CanadaHockeyHockey Canadahockey canada latestHockey Canada losing sponsorshipsHockey Canada Sexual Assaulthockey canada sexual assault settlementhockey sponsorships
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Running back Nyheim Hines sprained his right ankle midway through the first quarter. The Wolfpack's top running back was limited to two carries for six yards. Doeren said after the game Hines' injury wasn't serious.
"Nyheim was walking around today and said he felt a lot better," Doeren said.
Defensive tackle Justin Jones suffered an elbow injury during the first quarter and missed the rest of the game. Jones was only on the field for 10 of Notre Dame's 73 offensive plays.
Doeren said he saw Jones at the practice facility on Monday and Jones said "he felt really good."
"He just banged his elbow up," Doeren said. "He's fine."
Defensive tackle Eurndraus Bryant also suffered an ankle injury in the first half. He lasted 21 snaps before he was treated on the sidelines.
Defensive end Darian Roseboro had a walking boot on his right foot before the end of the game. Roseboro played 22 defensive snaps. He watched most of the fourth quarter while on crutches.
Doeren didn't have a specific update on Roseboro.
"We'll just have to see where we are by practice," Doeren said of all the injured players.
ACC goals still ahead of NC State, but Wolfpack will look back and regret loss to Notre Dame
Who will win the ACC Atlantic?


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Preezy Candidates Gillibrand and Buttigieg, What?
Posted by Denise Simon | Apr 19, 2019 | Contributors | 0 |
We already know about Bernie Sanders praising Fidel Castro and the communist takeover of Nicaragua. Yet, he still seems to appeal to the millennial class while enjoying their campaign contributions. This demonstrates the failure of the education system for decades. Okay, so how about Kirsten Gillibrand and Pete Buttigieg?
Gillibrand:
BuzzFeed reported Tuesday that the New York senator will endorse a new report recommending steps to reduce the racial wealth divide, including policies such as a commission to study slavery reparations.
"A draft of the report, titled 'Ten Solutions to Bridge the Racial Wealth Divide,' will be jointly released this week by the Institute for Policy Studies, the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity, and the National Community Reinvestment Coalition," they report. Gillibrand told BuzzFeed News that she was "proud" to support the document.
One of the organizations Gillibrand is "proud" to partner with, the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS), was infamous during the Cold War for its defense of Communist governments and for its kneejerk support of the Soviet line.
Emory Professor and preeminent historian of American Communism Harvey Klehr dedicated an entire chapter of his book "Far Left of Center" to the IPS, which he characterized as "an intellectual nerve center for the radical movement, providing sustenance and support for a variety of causes, ranging from nuclear and anti-intervention issues to support for Marxist insurgencies."
"IPS fellows have consistently maintained that the Soviet threat is largely non-existent and a product of the military-industrial complex," he wrote. Klehr detailed how IPS fellows' partnered with Soviet-funded "peace" organizations, defended USSR and Vietnam from charges of human rights abuses, defended the Sandinistas and other Latin-American terrorists, and denied the existence of the Cambodian genocide, even as two million people died.
Former Communist spy and defector Ladislav Bittman likewise wrote in his seminal book "The KGB and Soviet Disinformation" that the Soviets were "particularly interested" in IPS, whose "nucleus" was composed of "researchers and scholars with Marxist perceptions that Soviet foreign and military policies pose no threat to Western democracies." More here.
Swell eh? Okay how about lil ol' Pete Buttigieg?
Buttigieg:
Well he was groomed politically by his father, a Marxist. Yep….
The father of Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg was a Marxist professor who spoke fondly of the Communist Manifesto and dedicated a significant portion of his academic career to the work of Italian Communist Party founder Antonio Gramsci, an associate of Vladimir Lenin.
Joseph Buttigieg, who died in January at the age of 71, immigrated to the U.S. in the 1970s from Malta and in 1980 joined the University of Notre Dame faculty, where he taught modern European literature and literary theory. He supported an updated version of Marxism that jettisoned some of Marx and Engel's more doctrinaire theories, though he was undoubtedly Marxist.
He was an adviser to Rethinking Marxism, an academic journal that published articles "that seek to discuss, elaborate, and/or extend Marxian theory," and a member of the editorial collective of Boundary 2, a journal of postmodern theory, literature, and culture. He spoke at many Rethinking Marxism conferences and other gatherings of prominent Marxists.
In a 2000 paper for Rethinking Marxism critical of the approach of Human Rights Watch, Buttigieg, along with two other authors, refers to "the Marxist project to which we subscribe."
In 1998, he wrote in an article for the Chronicle of Higher Education about an event in New York City celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Manifesto. He also participated in the event.
"If The Communist Manifesto was meant to liberate the proletariat, the Manifesto itself in recent years needed liberating from Marxism's narrow post-Cold War orthodoxies and exclusive cadres. It has been freed," he wrote. More here.
So, now you have a head start on 3 of the candidates for President. How about choosing to do a few others and see what you will find. Here is a tip, Kamala Harris' father, Donald, a Professor Emeritus of Economics at Stanford straddles between socialism and Marxism himself.
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When I went to Paris, I could see Dynamo exhibition (A CENTURY OF LIGHT AND MOTION IN ART, 1913-2013) that mostly focused on various Optical illusions. I was there for an exhibition at CHI conference with my one of my projects, 'Overlapped Playback'. Actually this project was based on analog optical illusions, a couple of visitors highly recommended me to go the Dynamo exhibition. I was totally into the exhibitions and it was very impressive and inspirational until now.
So forthis assignment, I would like to build an op-art generator with acrylic material. There are total two layers with various patterns for the optical illusion. I got those patterns from OPARTICA site.
I drew each pattern and I am going to cut using a laser printer. And I hope to make it that people can change the each pattern panel and see what differences between speed and combined patterns.
I am going to use a motor, a potentiometer, and switch to turn those pattern disks.
first of all, I do not know how to secure the motor stick with a disk.
I wanted to make disks by etching with transparent acrylic, I did not work well.
Anyway I had to use black 1/8in acrylic to cut them it.
Below designs are not connected each other, so I tried to use with transparent acrylic and black. But for very very small parts, they were melting so that I cannot get the exact size of shapes that I drew.
Finally, I got 6 disks! Top three disks are for the bottom with a bearing. (Actually, I did not need to use the bearing at all…)and bottom three disks are for turning with a motor. When they overlapped two disks, they make different optical illusions.
After that, I built an Arduino and motor circuits to control the motor speed and on-off.
Laser cutting is super great, fast and easy, but it also has some limitations, the gap between a file and cut pieces, singed surfaces and glueing two transparent acrylic pieces clean.
Op Turntable v01 from Hayeon Hwang on Vimeo.
I assume more documentation is coming, correct?


After being on the run surviving our 24 hour box fort boat or floating box fort we headed to an abandoned tree house in the scary woods. There we were followed by who we believe are hackers or spies. These guys are trying to catch YouTubers like chad wild clay and Rebecca Zamolo. we left the woods during a 3am challenge and returned home to the papa jake mansion. There we had to escape in My BMW i8 and go to our billionaire box fort to survive. We managed to make it and then tried to call Carter sharer to warn him of the hacker and how it could be the game master. this in real life vlog is a crazy adventure and you guys are coming along for the ride to help Papa Jake. Thank you for watching my PG entertainment family friendly comedy videos for kids in 2018!


Vagabonds for three years, we (Drew and Christine) became a three person family for nearly a year and a half.
When Cole was four months old, we set off once again, this time for Colombia. Since then, we have been to Burning Man, San Francisco, Thailand, Malaysia, Bali, India, Dubai, Greece, Paris, Barcelona, Morocco, and are currently in Cairo, Egypt on our way to Rwanda and on and on.
With no home base, we are slogging all of our worldly posessions from destination to destination.
Well, Drew is. On travel days, he's the sherpa, I am on mommy duty to our amazing boy Cole, who is growing faster than we can keep up.


A major issue continues to be the reduction of waste production.
With our energy - saving system which automatically responds to pressure changes in the system calibration and corrects fluctuations automatically - we had considerable success.
A further step to reduce scrap rates, we were able to put the inline measurement "ProfilControl 7" of Pixargus. The new hybrid system of unparalleled compactness provides automatic quality inspection of profiles, sealings, hoses, tubes and cables.
The innovative hybrid system, ProfilControl 7, provides surface information and topographic data with just one sensor. Modularly scalable with a new sensor technology, design and process control.
Quick and flexible use of the inline system which provides measuring data during the line start and throughout the production.
PC7, which combines surface inspection and contour measurement in a modular system, provides continuous, automatic quality control.
Up to eight Hybrid Power Multi Camera Sensors are in place to capture quality-relevant data in extrusion lines.
The innovative Pixargus MultiCamera Sensor head, which can be opened with one hand, makes it easy to place the system flexibly in the line - or remove it from the line - without having to interrupt production.
Innovative lighting and the integrated light ring of PC7 provide an extremely homogeneously lit measuring field.
PC7 not only provides measured data and evaluations in real time, but also processes quality-relevant data into a "defect map".
As required, all components of the system can be managed within a decentralized line structure or centrally via a server.
The new PC7 series saves money as it no longer requires the investment in a separate shape measuring system.


At Green Mountain at Fox Run, we believe one of the most important keys to making healthy lifestyle changes that last is to first accept the way things are in the present. It sounds odd, but the ability to accomplish real change depends on us being okay if no change were to ever occur.
Acceptance gets rid of the shame and can actually motivate, as explained by Karin Kratina and Jon Robison in Moving Away from Diets.
This idea of acceptance of ourselves and our current sizes is the message behind the Health at Every Size movement that Green Mountain supports.
"Health at Every Size is really about being the best we can be and not getting in our own way" says Marsha Hudnall, MS, RD, owner of Green Mountain.
Following are tenets of the Health at Every Size movement, which serve as a guide to developing a healthy lifestyle that truly supports well-being.
Health At Every Size is a registered trademark of the Association for Size Diversity and Health and used with permission.


text:
Pa. Supreme Court takes control of redrawing state's congressional map
Published: Feb. 02, 2022, 4:15 p.m.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that it will not await a lower court decision about the future of the state's congressional map and will instead take over the case.
Spotlight PA | For PennLive.com
This article is part of a yearlong reporting project focused on redistricting and gerrymandering in Pennsylvania. It is made possible by the support of Spotlight PA members and Votebeat, a project focused on election integrity and voting access.
Story by Kate Huangpu of Spotlight PA
HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Supreme Court took control of the high-stakes selection of the state's next congressional map, preempting a lower court ruling at the last minute in a move that will likely fuel continued partisan scrutiny from Republicans.
Commonwealth Court had been set to rule on a map after soliciting proposals from interested parties. Instead, the high court will now receive a report from the lower court, additional briefs, and hold a hearing Feb. 18, three days after the date candidates can begin circulating nominating petitions.
Two groups of Pennsylvania residents originally filed suit in Commonwealth Court to ensure the May primary occurs on schedule. The court set a Jan. 30 deadline for Gov. Tom Wolf and the General Assembly to agree upon a map, and it solicited map submissions and held hearings.
This is the second time the high court, where Democrats hold the majority, has been asked to take the case. It originally declined, opting instead to give the lower court the chance to review the case and issue a ruling.
The state Supreme Court is no stranger to the redistricting process. In 2018, it threw out the congressional map and redrew it after it was challenged as unfairly benefitting Republicans. In response, several GOP lawmakers unsuccessfully called for Democrats on the bench to be impeached.
A Republican state lawmaker again called for Justice David Wecht, a Democrat, to be impeached in October 2020 in response to the court's ruling on several election-related cases, and its upholding of Wolf's emergency COVID-19 declaration.
The GOP has also advanced a constitutional amendment that would give the legislature the power to draw districts for statewide appellate court races — those for Commonwealth, Superior, and Supreme Courts — instead of the current format of statewide races. Such a change would make the state a national outlier, a Spotlight PA review found.
Typically, the congressional map is drawn and approved through a process akin to passing legislation through the General Assembly. After the state House and Senate agree on a map, it then goes to the governor for his approval.
The initial map proposal originated in the state House and was drawn by Amanda Holt, a noted redistricting advocate and former Republican Lehigh County commissioner. After it was introduced in the State Government Committee in mid-December, the chair, state Rep. Seth Grove (R., York), amended it in response to complaints from fellow Republicans that it split their counties.
In a letter released in late December, Wolf called the map "highly skewed," and later told reporters he would veto it if it landed on his desk without amendments. While the map did improve upon the four neutral fairness criteria outlined by the state Supreme Court, it failed to reflect the partisan makeup of the state and had a strong Republican lean.
After weeks of failed negotiations between Senate Democrats and Republicans, the Senate adopted the House map in an effort to meet a Jan. 24 deadline set by the state's top election official in order to keep Pennsylvania's primary on track. Because the state is losing a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, the current map cannot be used as a fallback.
The map was vetoed by Wolf on Jan. 26.
WHILE YOU'RE HERE... If you learned something from this story, pay it forward and become a member of Spotlight PA so someone else can in the future at spotlightpa.org/donate. Spotlight PA is funded by foundations and readers like you who are committed to accountability journalism that gets results.
Gov. Wolf proposes $1.7B relief program for families, small businesses, health care and conservation
Oz spends his own cash, Fetterman laps the Democrats: What Pa. Senate fundraising reports tell us


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Fleet Foxes – Shore
Fleet Foxes' Robin Pecknold shares, "SHORE feels like a relief, like you'd feel when your feet finally hit sand after getting caught in a riptide. It's a celebration of life in the face of death, honoring our lost musical heroes, from David Berman to John Prine to Judee Sill to Bill Withers, embracing the joy and solace they brought to our lives and honoring their memory. SHORE is an object levitating between the magnetic fields of the past and the future."
SHORE was released digitally in its entirety on the fall equinox (22/9) alongside an album length Super-16mm landscape film captured and edited in Washington State by the filmmaker Kersti Jan Werdal.
The album was recorded in upstate New York at Aaron Dessner's Long Pond Studio, in Paris at Studios St. Germain, in Los Angeles at the legendary Vox, in Long Island City at Diamond Mine, and New York City's Electric Lady.
Label: Anti
UPC: 8714092844429 (CD) | 8714092844412 (2xLP) | 8714092844436 (2xLP)
Catalogue Number: 28444-2 (CD) | 28444-1 (2xLP) | 28444-3 (2xLP)
Release Date: 5 February 2021
Teenage Wrist – Earth Is A Black Hole


GRAND RAPIDS – The Lakeland Magic (4-6) defeated the Grand Rapids Drive (5-5) for the second time in two consecutive meetings Friday night with a 119-95 win on the road. The Magic and Drive played twice in Grand Rapids over the course of three days, and the Magic came away victorious both times.
third quarters as well. The Drive did not make a significant run until the fourth quarter when the outcome was no longer in question.
team-high six assists. BJ Johnson also chipped in 17 points.
five rebounds and five assists and hitting 5-of-8 three-pointers in just 24 minutes. Zach Lofton also played well offensively with 24 points.
Keenan Evans was the only other Drive player in double figures with 13 points.
excellent all night, as they recorded 27 assists as a team with six players registering at least three helpers.
Lakeland pushed their lead to 36 points midway through the third quarter. The Drive began the fourth quarter very well with a 25-7 run to open it, but they had fallen too far behind in the earlier parts of the game.


Not much to report for the past two weeks. We've been dealing with the loss of a cherished family member here, so work has taken a back seat. We also spent some time out of town over the holiday weekend, so not much has been happening here lately. Things are beginning to return to normal this week, so hopefully there will be more to report next time. For now, I've been dabbling a bit with the new scripts for the Church items, mostly implementing the code to account for all of the changes in appearance that occur over the course of the game. Part of that involved going back to one of our old models, the fresco itself, and reconfiguring it so that we can swap textures (the frescoes themselves) with a simple command, rather than having separate objects for each fresco. This is how things were set up for the different St. Cuthbert objects, allowing for fast texture swapping as the game progresses. The problem is that the model has to be set up prior to export using a specific naming convention for the textures, so I had to go back to the fresco model files, change the texture file name, and re-export the object. I'll have to go back and do that with some other objects as well, but it only applies to objects that change textures alone, not shapes. So that will take some sorting out.


I absolutely got the wrong impression of this venue the first few times that l went to weigh it up. From the usual point of arrival through the village of Glomel l got the impression of arriving at an aquatic leisure centre and holiday camp.There is a beach of sorts and facilities for all sorts of sports, people everywhere and us anglers aren't always the best at sharing so it didn't appeal to me. It was only when l met the four Brummies (see previous posts) that l took a renewed interest in this venue. They have fished here on numerous occasions and they really rated it.
They intended to fish there the next day so l thought l would seek them out to see how they were doing, l couldn't fish myself as Lady Morgan had other plans for the morning. We did get there mid afternoon and they were nowhere to be seen. We were just about to give up when we spotted them some distance away on the right hand bank, surely they hadn't lugged their kit that far! Indeed they hadn't, their cars were parked on the track behind them. Problem was there were only two Brummies. Oh dear! Had they got peckish and eaten the other two? No all was well, the other two had gone to the other side by the dam.They were fishing the feeder and getting a bite a chuck, one had a big tench while we were there but they were struggling to avoid smaller fish, roach, rudd, skimmers and perch.They did say that if and when the bream arrived they would push the smaller fish out. Meanwhile up by the dam the other two had caught big bream and tench (sorry no photos, forgot to charge my i-pad).
On the last day of this visit l decided to have a go myself. The weather was about as bad as could be imagined, gale force winds and torrential rain but l couldn't just come back when it improved so l decided to give it a go, feeder or straight lead the only real option in this weather even my Gortex was struggling to keep me dry. To my surprise it was a bite a chuck almost from the off but nothing over a pound, to be honest more bloody minded endurance than pleasure.
About a month later her Ladyship and I were back in Brittany (it is work and someone has to do it!). The conditions were the complete opposite, clear blue skies and heavy night frost, the level much lower, on the count down of the feeder and the angle of the line l estimated maybe two or two and half metres deep at approx 25 metres, with the temperature and bright sun l wasn't expecting a bite a chuck this time. To my surprise within a few minutes the tip went round and soon once again it was a bite a chuck, l was very tempted to have a go on the float for the roach but decided to stay on the tip in the hope of bream or tench, it didn't happen as planned but l caught smaller fish steadily, roach mainly but with the odd hybrid, rudd or perch.
The important thing if you visit is to find this area away from the main activities. Just before the main entrance turn right keeping the lake on your left, after maybe a kilometre you come to a T junction, turn left then left onto the track looking back towards the 'beach', it sounds more complicated than it is just keep the main lake on your left. Asking around l think the lake is some 150 acres but not all is easily accessible, when you put a bait into this volume of water and get bites straightaway you do ponder just what head of fish is there. There are a few negatives with this venue despite its size there aren't limitless swims and the lake is popular with carp and predator anglers, who by the nature of the way they fish can take up a lot of bank. Sometimes there are a lot of boats and l have been told other water sports as well, mid summer may not be the best time to fish. There is some access on the opposite side but it might be difficult to find. On the plus side there are clearly plenty of fish, they are in tip top condition and it's pretty much weed free and a picturesque area. Lady Morgan really enjoyed her walk through the woodland and this had the added bonus of the sangliers (wild boar) having the day off from being the most fearsome creatures in the forest.


Open communication and understanding is an integral feature of any good relationship. The tenant/landlord relationship is no different.
Having a 'home' is more than just having a roof over our head. Having somewhere to call home is essential to living a healthy and well-balanced life for everyone.
Tenant Champion Damien gives his insight in to the challenges of hostel residents moving to the PRS.


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Q: If $x^2-k=0$ has only 1 solution in an integral domain $(R,+,\cdot )$ then $char(R)=2$ I want to proof the above statement but I don't really know how to do it. I already proofed that in an integral domain the above equation has at most 2 solutions, but I don't know how to go on from there. Can anyone help? Thanks :)

A: Note that if $f$ is a solution, then so is $-f$. But if only one solution exists, you have $f=-f$. Since $k\not=0$ we must have $f\not=0$, therefore since $R$ is an integral domain you can cancel the $f$'s to get $1=-1$. What does this imply?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
package mil.nga.giat.geowave.cli.osm.osmfeature.types.features;

import java.io.ByteArrayInputStream;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Collections;
import java.util.HashMap;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.Locale;
import java.util.Map;

import org.apache.commons.io.IOUtils;
import org.geotools.feature.AttributeTypeBuilder;
import org.geotools.feature.simple.SimpleFeatureTypeBuilder;
import org.opengis.feature.simple.SimpleFeatureType;
import org.slf4j.Logger;
import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;

import com.vividsolutions.jts.geom.Geometry;
import com.vividsolutions.jts.geom.LineString;
import com.vividsolutions.jts.geom.Point;
import com.vividsolutions.jts.geom.Polygon;

import mil.nga.giat.geowave.adapter.vector.FeatureDataAdapter;
import mil.nga.giat.geowave.cli.osm.osmfeature.FeatureConfigParser;
import mil.nga.giat.geowave.cli.osm.osmfeature.types.attributes.AttributeDefinition;
import mil.nga.giat.geowave.cli.osm.osmfeature.types.attributes.AttributeType;
import mil.nga.giat.geowave.cli.osm.osmfeature.types.attributes.AttributeTypes;
import mil.nga.giat.geowave.core.index.StringUtils;

public class FeatureDefinitionSet
{
	public final static List<String> GeneralizedFeatures = Collections.unmodifiableList(new ArrayList<String>());
	public final static List<FeatureDefinition> Features = (new ArrayList<FeatureDefinition>());
	public final static Map<String, FeatureDataAdapter> featureAdapters = Collections
			.unmodifiableMap(new HashMap<String, FeatureDataAdapter>());
	public final static Map<String, SimpleFeatureType> featureTypes = Collections
			.unmodifiableMap(new HashMap<String, SimpleFeatureType>());
	private final static Object MUTEX = new Object();
	private static boolean initialized = false;
	private static final Logger LOGGER = LoggerFactory.getLogger(FeatureDefinitionSet.class);

	public static void initialize(
			String configFile ) {
		synchronized (MUTEX) {
			if (!initialized) {
				FeatureConfigParser fcp = new FeatureConfigParser();
				ByteArrayInputStream bais = new ByteArrayInputStream(
						configFile.getBytes(StringUtils.GEOWAVE_CHAR_SET));
				try {
					fcp.parseConfig(bais);
				}
				catch (IOException e) {
					LOGGER.error(
							"Unable to parse config file string",
							e);
				}
				finally {
					IOUtils.closeQuietly(bais);
				}

				for (FeatureDefinition fd : Features) {
					parseFeatureDefinition(fd);
				}

				initialized = true;
			}
		}
	}

	private static void parseFeatureDefinition(
			FeatureDefinition fd ) {
		final SimpleFeatureTypeBuilder sftb = new SimpleFeatureTypeBuilder();
		sftb.setName(fd.name);
		final AttributeTypeBuilder atb = new AttributeTypeBuilder();
		// Class geomClass = null;
		// switch (fd.Type) {
		// case Geometry: {
		// geomClass = Geometry.class;
		// break;
		// }
		// case Point: {
		// geomClass = Point.class;
		// break;
		// }
		// case LineString: {
		// geomClass = LineString.class;
		// break;
		// }
		// case Polygon: {
		// geomClass = Polygon.class;
		// }
		// }
		// sftb.add(atb.binding(geomClass).nillable(false).buildDescriptor("geometry"));
		for (AttributeDefinition ad : fd.attributes) {
			AttributeType at = AttributeTypes.getAttributeType(ad.type);
			if (ad.name == null) {
				System.out.println("yo");
			}
			if (at != null) {
				sftb.add(atb.binding(
						at.getClassType()).nillable(
						true).buildDescriptor(
						normalizeOsmNames(ad.name)));
			}
		}
		SimpleFeatureType sft = sftb.buildFeatureType();
		featureTypes.put(
				fd.name,
				sft);
		featureAdapters.put(
				fd.name,
				new FeatureDataAdapter(
						sft));
	}

	public static String normalizeOsmNames(
			String name ) {
		if (name == null) return null;

		return name.trim().toLowerCase(
				Locale.ENGLISH).replace(
				":",
				"_");
	}

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub